The news of Nona's defeat in court spread instantly. Her previously pitiful Facebook post hadn't been well-received. Now, it was revealed that her actions against Celia had almost resulted in a tragedy, which was truly unforgivable.Celia breathed a sigh of relief. The matter seemed to have come to a temporary conclusion. She glanced at Nona's surprised expression and then left the courtroom.Nona was sentenced to ten years in prison, a fate she had never anticipated. After a decade, she would no longer possess the abilities and looks she now had. Having a criminal record would make her an outcast wherever she went.She stared blankly ahead, surprised to find that she had ended up in such a miserable situation.…Soon, the news reached the ears of the Little family. Jocelyn's father, Jasper Little, fell into contemplation after seeing the online abuse toward Nona."Go get Ms. Little down here," he ordered the maid beside him.The maid nodded and went upstairs.Jocelyn came
Jacob felt relieved when he heard about the outcome. For Nona, this was already the best possible result."Thank you." Jacob thanked Celia, but there was only indifference in her eyes."If that's all, I have nothing much to say anymore," Celia commented passively, making Jacob realize that something was amiss."Nona did something to harm me. I know you're her mentor, but have you ever thought about me?"Celia's eyes turned icy. They were now devoid of her previous respect for Jacob."Well, I just wanted to fulfill my responsibility as a teacher." Sensing Celia's displeasure, Jacob tried his best to calm her down."You are also my teacher. I won't deny that you've looked out for me before, but what about now?" Celia took a deep breath, feeling extremely disappointed in Jacob. "Don't you know how important it is for a woman to be able to conceive? I can accept that she hired people to insult me online, but ..."Jacob fell silent at that. He had only known that Nona had been se
"No. Please listen to me!"Nona chased after Jacob, not wanting him to leave. However, not once did he falter in his steps as he strode out. "I have nothing more to say to you. From now on, I am no longer your teacher, and you are not my student."Nona didn't understand why this was happening. She ran out in a hurry to stop Jacob from leaving as she attempted to explain herself. Nevertheless, Jacob didn't even spare her a glance and just left.Nona followed Jacob all the way to his doorstep. Jacob could not care less as he shut the door in her face heavily."Mr. Dawson! Please just listen to my explanation!"Even though she had been shut out by Jacob, Nona rapped on his door continuously. Still, Jacob didn't give her any chance to explain."There's nothing to explain. At this point, there's nothing left to say."Jacob's voice came through from the other side of the door. This made Nona very upset."It was just one slip-up. I've been studying under you for so many years. Are y
Inside a bar, dim lights shone upon men and women dancing against each other passionately.Nona sat alone at the bar counter, holding a bottle of alcohol tightly in her hand. She gulped it all down before any of the waiters spotted her.Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. Gritting her teeth, she repeatedly muttered Celia's name. She wouldn't have ended up in this situation if it hadn't been for Celia.Upon thinking of Celia, Nona couldn't swallow her anger. She opened another bottle of alcohol and drank it all in one go."Miss, you can't drink like this. This alcohol is strong."A waiter finally noticed Nona and hurried over to stop her, but she pushed him away. The bottle in her hand fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.Nona's oil painting skills were impressive, but Celia's appearance in the art scene had overshadowed the former's artistic talents. As a result, her presence had slowly diminished.She was unwilling to accept such an outcome. Soon, she opened an
Celia glanced at Troy and turned to leave.…Meanwhile, Jocelyn was arguing with her parents at the Littles' residence."Why did you do this? I'm signed to Starlight Entertainment now. What position does this put me in?" Jocelyn looked at her parents coldly. Celia had been keeping it from her for some time now. Jocelyn would never have known that her parents had done such a thing.She found it hard to believe that they would destroy company property for their selfish desires. It infuriated her to no end."We're doing this for your own good. Starlight Entertainment keeps getting into trouble. If we don't intervene, you might end up being used and then tossed away!" Olivia advised her.Olivia had already given Celia a chance, but the latter hadn't accepted it. Olivia had gone ahead and done something like that out of desperation."Are you justifying your wrongdoings now? Do you feel you're in the right here?" Jocelyn took a deep breath as she looked at her parents in disbelief
In a hotel room elsewhere, Nona woke up to find herself lying next to a stranger. Then, she came to realize that she was completely naked. She couldn't believe that she had slept with some man whom she didn't even know. This dealt a huge blow to her. Looking at the unfamiliar man beside her, she couldn't help but shiver.The sound of her sobs woke Zayden up. He opened his eyes and saw Nona sitting beside him, crying.Rubbing his temples, he took in the glaring sunlight streaming in from outside. He wasn't sure what to do."W-Why did you do this to me?"Nona was furious and was about to hit Zayden to vent her frustrations. But the next second, his words took her by surprise."I heard what you said last night. You hate Celia, don't you?" Zayden asked.The mention of Celia's name made Nona pause. "How do you know Celia?"She narrowed her eyes, instantly becoming cautious of the man in front of her."Don't look at me like that. Celia Stanton is also my archenemy," Zayden replied.
Celia widened her eyes, desperately trying to resist. However, a woman's strength was no match for trained men. Eventually, Celia gave up struggling. Instead, she decided it was better to conserve her energy for thinking instead.Thus, she forced herself to calm down. She knew she couldn't afford to panic at a time like this. She stayed quiet and thought about her next step.Celia could feel that she was put into a bag and carried away by several men. They seemed to have planned this abduction.Since that was the case, it was all the more reason for her not to panic. She guessed that their next step would be putting her in a vehicle. Once they managed to do that, it would be hard for her to escape.Without delay, Celia removed one of her earrings and pricked her fingers. She tore a small hole in the bag so that the blood from her finger would leave a trail. She hoped that by doing this, she could leave a clue for Yardley.The moment Yardley realized that she hadn't come home, he
When Celia hadn't returned home or sent him any messages, Yardley had sensed that something was amiss. He had rushed to Starlight Entertainment and found traces of Celia's blood not far away from the parking lot.So he had checked the surveillance footage of the highway and tracked the car that had taken Celia. Finally, it led him here.Yardley signaled to the people behind him. A few approached stealthily and took down Zayden's henchmen when the latter were briefly distracted.Upon seeing the men being subdued, Yardley relaxed a little. He entered the cabin and found two people arguing inside.Just as Zayden and Nona's argument escalated, the door of the cabin suddenly swung open.Celia squinted her eyes. Not having been exposed to bright light for a while, her eyes struggled to adjust to the sudden brightness.Nona and Zayden stood dumbfounded in their spots. "Y-Yardley!"Celia's eyes lit up as she got up with all her might. While Zayden and Nona were still frozen in their s
In fact, Yardley didn't tell anyone. … Meanwhile, Morgan stumbled upon a surprising find. She discovered two healthy, month-old babies at the orphanage. "Director, is it true that no one wants such young babies?" Morgan felt a bit emotional. How could people be so heartless as to abandon their own babies? The director of the orphanage let out a deep sigh. "You don't know the whole story. Our janitor found these babies at the orphanage's entrance. Someone left them there and disappeared. "We've been taking care of them for about half a month now, and their condition has improved significantly." Looking at the adorable babies, Morgan couldn't shake the feeling that they belonged to Celia. "I'm here on behalf of Yardley Hughes else to adopt these children, but..." Morgan expressed her concerns. Morgan anticipated the orphanage director's refusal. To her surprise, he actually agreed. "The opportunity for these two babies to have some good days is preferable to nothing.
"Let's go, Celia. We shouldn't disturb the twins' rest," said Yardley as he supported Celia and got ready to leave. Celia waved her hand and stood in front of the incubator. Even with the glass barrier, she could still discern the condition of her children. She reached out to touch them, as if her touch could make them feel her presence. She resolved to take her children home safely. Celia lingered for a while before finally leaving the hospital. Once they were home, Celia locked herself in her room, disregarding any attempts anyone made to talk to her. Yardley headed to the company to attend to some matters, while the housekeepers remained at home. Meanwhile, Morgan couldn't shake her concern for Celia, so she came to visit her. Upon entering, she heard the housekeepers upstairs calling out, "Mrs. Hughes, are you feeling better? Come out and have some soup!" However, there was no response from inside. "What's going on?" Morgan asked. The housekeepers promptly briefed
Sophie had failed to get Celia's forgiveness. So, she had no choice but to pin all her hopes on Morgan.She took all the supplements to Morgan's apartment. Richard was staying there with her.Ever since the incident with Celia, Sophie's relationship with Richard had become very strained. They barely talked to one another.Sophie knocked on the door for a long time, but no one came out.She could only wait outside. After two hours, she finally saw Morgan and Richard. They came into view, laughing and holding each other's hands.This scene pained Sophie deeply."What are you doing here?" Morgan's cheerful expression faltered the moment she saw Sophie.Sophie could only put on a smile and say, "I brought all these for you. I was wrong to come between your relationship with my son."Richard glanced at the items on the ground. He could tell from a glance that they were meant for postpartum care and immediately understood why Sophie was there."Mom, you should be honest. You got the
Otto didn't back down and insisted on his right to see his grandchildren. However, Yardley paid him no mind. He shook his head and said, "Celia needs rest. Please come back another day."The next second, he instructed the housekeepers to close the door and left Otto standing outside. Otto stomped his walking cane on the ground in frustration but had no choice but to leave.As Yardley made his way back inside the villa, he thought of another troubling matter.Although they had brought their children home, the twins had been weak because they had been born prematurely. They had appointed a family doctor to treat the twins but hadn't seen much improvement in their health. Yardley sanitized himself before he went into the nursery. He felt pained when he heard the twins' weak breaths."Mr. Hughes." The family doctor spoke up with a frown, indicating that the situation was far from ideal."The baby girl has been slowly recovering, but the boy remains very weak. I don't think the n
"Don't worry. She's fine. She's just a bit weak at the moment."Remembering Yardley's words outside the ward, the doctor felt a wave of nervousness. He could tell that Yardley and Celia weren't ordinary people judging by their attire. They were certainly not ones to be trifled with."Did you say that we had twins?" Yardley turned to ask the nurse after learning that Celia was alright."Yes, sir." The nurse chuckled inwardly. She found that, despite Yardley's intimidating appearance, he was a very devoted husband.Soon, Celia was moved out of the operating room and into a VIP ward.Yardley gently wiped the sweat from Celia's face again. He took in her pale complexion; it was a sign of how much she had suffered."How's Celia?"Sounds of hurried footsteps came from outside. Ashley and the others had come over. Yardley turned and signaled them to leave.Celia had just given birth, so she needed a quiet environment to rest. Having too many visitors might affect her recovery.Ever
"How could you hit me because of her? I'm the mother of your child!" Sophie shrieked.She had never suffered such humiliation. She had been showered with love from a young age and wasn't accustomed to such harsh treatment. So, she became agitated and emotional."Isn't it all because of you that things turned out this way? Would such a thing have happened to our company? Would Richard suddenly want to break all ties with us? It's all because of your reckless behavior!" Chester vented years of suppressed grievances and dissatisfaction as if it would make him feel better.Celia watched as Chester and Sophie argued fiercely. She stepped forward to stop them, especially since there were many people outside watching the spectacle."Stop fighting. This isn't the time or the place for arguments!"Sophie went at Chester and started hitting him. Celia tried to break up their fight, but Sophie pushed her. Celia took a few steps back at that. She didn't attempt to intervene anymore."It's
"Mrs. Black, we'd intended to negotiate amicably with you and achieve a satisfactory outcome for both parties. "The decision to move out was mine, and I asked Celia to come over and help me out. If you're unwilling to be decent and compromise, then let's end things between our families here."Morgan felt relieved after expressing her thoughts. It was like a significant weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "What do you mean?" Richard panicked. Just when their relationship had slightly improved, the situation took a turn for the worse again."We're breaking up for good!"Morgan left after saying that. Jessica and Darby left with her, leaving the Blacks behind."This is all your doing! Look what you've done! How many times have I told you not to be so assertive and bossy? Why don't you ever consider my feelings?" Richard punched the couch angrily, his heart filled with bitterness.Sophie hadn't wanted things to turn out this way either, but she had been too angry and spoke
"It's fine. You two can go if you have something else to attend to," Jessica said.Soon, Celia arrived at the Blacks' residence with Jessica and Darby.Sophie opened the door and was surprised to see Celia standing at the doorstep with Jessica and Darby. She couldn't understand what Celia was up to.Once they were inside, Celia didn't beat around the bush and stated her purpose directly. "I think you might be having some misunderstandings about Morgan."Sophie smiled without saying anything."Don't you think you're interfering too much in Morgan's personal life?" Celia questioned.Upon hearing this, Sophie realized why they were there. Having discussed the issue with Chester, Sophie had finally agreed not to interfere in Richard's and Morgan's lives.So, she didn't object to Celia's words. She even agreed with Celia, much to the latter's surprise.Under normal circumstances, Sophie would have argued with her. Why was she being so agreeable this time?"How about you sign a writ
After saying that, Celia hung up.On the other end, Quinn felt very displeased. After all, it was her party, and she had personally called Celia to invite her. Quinn felt that Celia had snubbed her by refusing to attend.Quinn thought about it for a moment. If Celia didn't come, Yardley probably wouldn't either. If both of them didn't show up, it would be embarrassing for Quinn.So, she decided to go and find Celia.…Morgan was taking refuge at Celia's place, so she answered the door when Quinn came over."I'm here to see Celia."Celia had instructed Morgan to turn away anyone she didn't recognize, no matter who it was. Hence, Morgan said, "Celia isn't seeing anyone today. Please come back another time."To Morgan's surprise, her words ignited the anger that Quinn had been suppressing in her heart. The two quickly started arguing.Celia listened to their argument from her room. She regretted asking Morgan to handle Quinn. She had expected that Quinn would come looking for her